A High-carb Diet May Explain Why Okinawans Live So Long

[Rafael Lao Wai]

isn't pork the most popular/eaten meat in the world?

Yeah, about one third of the meat consumed globally is from pork( last time I checked)

 

[Richiebogie]

Maybe the trick is to eat pork which has been fed a high carb diet of sweet potato and fruit and lives in a warm climate or wears sweaters!

Avoid pigs fed grain, soy and high PUFA seeds...

Here is an ad for Okinawan pork:

Aguu Pork | Introduction to Okinawan products - Okinawa International Aerial Logistics Hub・OKINAWA Bridging Asia

See also the tabs for Okinawan beef, fish, fruit & vegetables, purple sweet potatoes and seaweed!

It's a bit of a package!

The marketing pushes the supposed longevity benefits!

 

[pauljacob]

I'm very suspicious of studies, and the 'Publish or Perish' craze makes such studies even more suspect. The Okinawans healthy hearts and longevity could be due to many other factors and conditions that has nothing to do with their diets -- the geography of the island, the cleanliness of their atmosphere, especially from hazardous electro-magnetic and microwave radiation, etc.

 

[haidut]

I'm very suspicious of studies

So am I, but the reason I give the Okinawan study some credit is that it is one of the few "contrarian" studies that dares to study populations eating quite a bit of carbs and the results are hard to argue with. On the other hand, despite what we are being told every day (e.g carbs are evil) most studies with populations on low-carb diets are pretty consistent in their findings of increased morbidity and mortality.
No study has the complete truth. Only when combined with other knowledge it can be judged it it makes sense or not. Given the other study about the Tsimane and the fact that the only (known so far) commonality between these two ethnicities is their diet, I think it is decent (but not conclusive) suggestion that carbs are indeed healthier when consumed in higher amounts. This is in contrast to the other 2 macronutrients that seem to quickly become pathological if consumed beyond a certain percentage of diet.

 

[Rafael Lao Wai]

Maybe the trick is to eat pork which has been fed a high carb diet of sweet potato and fruit and lives in a warm climate or wears sweaters!

Avoid pigs fed grain, soy and high PUFA seeds...

Here is an ad for Okinawan pork:

Aguu Pork | Introduction to Okinawan products - Okinawa International Aerial Logistics Hub・OKINAWA Bridging Asia

See also the tabs for Okinawan beef, fish, fruit & vegetables, purple sweet potatoes and seaweed!

It's a bit of a package!

The marketing pushes the supposed longevity benefits!

Yes, I agree that what was fed to the pigs and their conditions, especially temperature, have a very big influence on the PUFA content. But feeding fruit and coconuts to pigs would be much more expensive, and the corn and soybean industries wouldn't be happy with the decreased demand for their cheap, useless grains.

 

[BingDing]

I'll vote for pork over yams any day of the week!

The debate about macro ratios has gone on for decades. IMO, the fact that no answer has emerged means it doesn't really matter, if your metabolism is good. I don't know if RP has changed his mind but at one point he suggested an equal balance of macros. I do well with all three of them and don't worry about it much.

It may be that just eating the same food day after day is inherently healthy. The gut flora is stable, the same DNA switches for enzymes are used over and over without having to find and activate new ones all the time, etc. The Inuit, Masai and Pacific Islanders certainly didn't have the same diet back in the day, before they started getting western diseases. What they had in common was a consistent, limited diet.

My $.02

 

[pauljacob]

No study has the complete truth. Only when combined with other knowledge it can be judged it it makes sense or not. Given the other study about the Tsimane and the fact that the only (known so far) commonality between these two ethnicities is their diet, I think it is decent (but not conclusive) suggestion that carbs are indeed healthier when consumed in higher amounts. This is in contrast to the other 2 macronutrients that seem to quickly become pathological if consumed beyond a certain percentage of diet.

I fully agree, because most of my diet is carbs and some vegetables, yogurt, cheese, legumes, EVOO, nuts, and fruits, and I haven't had a serious sickness . But now that I am 73, I've developed insulin resistance and NAFLD, and BP mainly due to mental and emotional stress, and I find myself starving because if I don't eat carbs there's nothing for me to eat, and when I eat carbs like bread, potatoes and pasta, I have to go out and march couple of miles to burn the sugar off and prevent a spike.

 

[DaveFoster]

I'm getting more and more convinced that lower protein intake is better. If you eat a lot of calories, especially carbohydrates, you will need much less protein. I always thought that the ratio in human milk might be a good clue as to which macronutrient ratio is optimal - it's roughly 7:7:1 (C/F/P)

Probably not, as humans grow and then stop growing.

some orange juice with a tablespoon of olive oil in it.

 

[ecstatichamster]

I'll vote for pork over yams any day of the week!

The debate about macro ratios has gone on for decades. IMO, the fact that no answer has emerged means it doesn't really matter, if your metabolism is good. I don't know if RP has changed his mind but at one point he suggested an equal balance of macros. I do well with all three of them and don't worry about it much.

It may be that just eating the same food day after day is inherently healthy. The gut flora is stable, the same DNA switches for enzymes are used over and over without having to find and activate new ones all the time, etc. The Inuit, Masai and Pacific Islanders certainly didn't have the same diet back in the day, before they started getting western diseases. What they had in common was a consistent, limited diet.

My $.02

I think you are right. People who live 100 or longer always have narrow habitual diets with no variance. I’ve noticed this.

 

[Rafael Lao Wai]

I fully agree, because most of my diet is carbs and some vegetables, yogurt, cheese, legumes, EVOO, nuts, and fruits, and I haven't had a serious sickness . But now that I am 73, I've developed insulin resistance and NAFLD, and BP mainly due to mental and emotional stress, and I find myself starving because if I don't eat carbs there's nothing for me to eat, and when I eat carbs like bread, potatoes and pasta, I have to go out and march couple of miles to burn the sugar off and prevent a spike.

So are you using starch as a carb source? Things like rice and potatoes never gave me lasting energy when I tried using them as main carb sources. Have you tried getting most of your carbohydrates from fruit juices, dried fruit and sugar syrup? In my experience, they work much better with regards to providing steady energy throughout longer periods of time. You could try cutting down on the oilve oil intake to see if your insulin sensitivity improves. Some starch is probably fine, as long as you pair it with something with fructose. Limiting or eliminating nuts is another step that can help.

Feeling like you're starving is a big stress. Especially if the prospect is that there isn't food to ingest or if the available food isn't in harmony with what you need.

Are you supplementing with anything? Potassium, magnesium and vitamin B1 would be good places to start, since these are very essential for carbohydrate metabolism. Niacinamide in small dosages a few times a day also improves insulin sensitivity.

Also, is that yogurt strained? If not, it will contain lactic acid, which is a burden on the liver. If the glycogen stores are low, then your body will increase free fatty acids in the blood to compensate for the lack of energy, but these fats in the blood make you insulin-insenstive, so making sure that your liver isn't burdened by things like endotoxin and lactic acid is a good strategy.

 

[Rafael Lao Wai]

I think you are right. People who live 100 or longer always have narrow habitual diets with no variance. I’ve noticed this.

Yeah, eating tens of different foods everyday is probably stressful on the digestive system. It's very comforting to have a diet that you can always count on and that you know works.

 

[yerrag]

I think you are right. People who live 100 or longer always have narrow habitual diets with no variance. I’ve noticed this.

Yeah, eating tens of different foods everyday is probably stressful on the digestive system. It's very comforting to have a diet that you can always count on and that you know works.

The MickeyD-eating Gringo tribe isn't doing too well though. lol

 

[ecstatichamster]

The MickeyD-eating Gringo tribe isn't doing too well though. lol

But the long lived may eat “junk” food sometimes too. One I recall eats at a diner every day for lunch. I’m sure there are pufas aplenty in that meal.

 

[ecstatichamster]

So are you using starch as a carb source? Things like rice and potatoes never gave me lasting energy when I tried using them as main carb sources. Have you tried getting most of your carbohydrates from fruit juices, dried fruit and sugar syrup? In my experience, they work much better with regards to providing steady energy throughout longer periods of time. You could try cutting down on the oilve oil intake to see if your insulin sensitivity improves. Some starch is probably fine, as long as you pair it with something with fructose. Limiting or eliminating nuts is another step that can help.

Feeling like you're starving is a big stress. Especially if the prospect is that there isn't food to ingest or if the available food isn't in harmony with what you need.

Are you supplementing with anything? Potassium, magnesium and vitamin B1 would be good places to start, since these are very essential for carbohydrate metabolism. Niacinamide in small dosages a few times a day also improves insulin sensitivity.

Also, is that yogurt strained? If not, it will contain lactic acid, which is a burden on the liver. If the glycogen stores are low, then your body will increase free fatty acids in the blood to compensate for the lack of energy, but these fats in the blood make you insulin-insenstive, so making sure that your liver isn't burdened by things like endotoxin and lactic acid is a good strategy.

I get a craving for starch if I just use sugar as my carb source. I recall that Dr. Peat said it took him a year to phase out starch. I think we crave starch for some reason.

 

[lexis]

People with less anger or hatred require less protein because catabolism would be low

 

[pauljacob]

So are you using starch as a carb source?

This was an eye-opener for me. Apparently I am and will start making adjustments.

You could try cutting down on the oilve oil intake to see if your insulin sensitivity improves.

Do you know why EVOO contributes to insulin resistance. I use it liberally.

Are you supplementing with anything? Potassium, magnesium and vitamin B1 would be good places to start, since these are very essential for carbohydrate metabolism.

I don't take individual vitamins, but a multi-pill. Because I take a BP bill, I need plenty of potassium and I get it mainly from 2 medium potatoes microwaved, 2 avocados, 2 Bananas, and a handful of dried apricots.

Niacinamide in small dosages a few times a day also improves insulin sensitivity.

How small is the dose? I have 500 mg capsules.

Also, is that yogurt strained? If not, it will contain lactic acid, which is a burden on the liver. If the glycogen stores are low, then your body will increase free fatty acids in the blood to compensate for the lack of energy, but these fats in the blood make you insulin-insensitive, so making sure that your liver isn't burdened by things like endotoxin and lactic acid is a good strategy.

I make my own whole-milk yogurt from dry culture. I will strain it from now on.

 

[ShotTrue]

Yeah, eating tens of different foods everyday is probably stressful on the digestive system. It's very comforting to have a diet that you can always count on and that you know works.

Interesting thought. Would make meal preparation and cost better

 

[Rafael Lao Wai]

This was an eye-opener for me. Apparently I am and will start making adjustments.

Do you know why EVOO contributes to insulin resistance. I use it liberally.

I don't take individual vitamins, but a multi-pill. Because I take a BP bill, I need plenty of potassium and I get it mainly from 2 medium potatoes microwaved, 2 avocados, 2 Bananas, and a handful of dried apricots.

How small is the dose? I have 500 mg capsules.

I make my own whole-milk yogurt from dry culture. I will strain it from now on.

I think anything more than a little fat will activate the Randle Cycle and that will cause temporary insulin resistance, although small amounts of saturated fats actually stimulate carbohydrate oxidation. Olive oil isn't low in PUFA and there is quite a lot of variation between brands and also regarding where the circumstances of the plants that produced the olives. As far as I know, the PUFA content can be anywhere from 6,5% all the way to 11%, and I think I read once that some have even as much as 20% PUFA. Polyunsaturated fats inhibit an enzyme called pyruvate dehydrogenase, which is one of the main enzymes in carbohydrate metabolism. Also, PUFAs are know to cause hyperglycemia and are harmful to the beta-cells of the pancreas, so it both makes you insulin resistant and lowers the production of insulin. Also, I'm very suspicious of olive oil nowadays, since, unless you send some of the olive oil you're using to analysis, you can't really know if it was cut with soybean oil or corn oil.

Ray has said that around 100 mg of niacinamide a few times a day helps with sugar metabolism. I personally use a little more: 250 mg twice a day, with an additional 125mg before bed for a total of 625 mg per day, but at the beggining this was too much for me. I would say following Ray's recommendations and increasing it over time if you feel it's necessary is a good plan. I open up the capsule and just use the amount that I want. I don't measure it exactly, I just go by the logic that if a whole capsule is 500 mg, then one forth is 125mg, half is 250mg and so on.

What medicine do you take for blood pressure?

Be careful with multi-vitamins; in my country, they often contain iron, which is another thing that can cause insulin resistance. Iron from supplements is differentfrom iron found in meats and fruits. The iron use to fortify foods and which they also put in supplements is a very powerful irritant to the digestive organs, and, considering that anything that irritates the gut produces a lot of serotonin, which also inhibits carb metabolism, I think avoiding this type of iron is very important.

Avocados are a big source of PUFA. They are similar to olive oil with regards to fatty acid composition, but with less variation, as far as I know. According to self nutrition data, one avocado has almost 4 grams of PUFA, so two avocados a day is almost 8 grams of PUFA. If one uses a lot of olive oil( say, 100 mL per day), we can potentially be looking at an intake of nearly 20 grams of PUFA day. That definitely will have a bad impact on carbohydrate oxidation, liver health, tolerance to stress etc.

Avocados, raw, all commercial varieties Nutrition Facts & Calories

Aside from the avocados though, potatoes, bananas and apricots are great both from a nutrient point of view( lots of carbs, potassium, b-vitamins, magnesium) and also from a PUFA point of view( these foods are very low in PUFA, even when eaten in big quantities). Replacing the avocados with prunes, dates, apples, pears or melons would provide some fructose to more easily oxidize the starch in the potatoes and bananas.

Finally, taurine can help with increasing carb tolerance and also liver glycogen, so it pairs very well with a high carb diet. Even as little as 500 mg per day can have great effects.

 

[Rafael Lao Wai]

I get a craving for starch if I just use sugar as my carb source. I recall that Dr. Peat said it took him a year to phase out starch. I think we crave starch for some reason.

Yeah, I noticed the same thing. That's why I still eat about 100 grams of potatoes everyday. That seems to be enough to satiate my starch hunger.

 

[raypeatclips]

I get a craving for starch if I just use sugar as my carb source. I recall that Dr. Peat said it took him a year to phase out starch. I think we crave starch for some reason.

Your body is trying to tell you something. All the long lived cultures have starch as a major carb source, be it rice, or some sort of root like potatoes, or yams. Vast majority of people in the world have starch as their major carb source, rice in Asia, potatoes and wheat in the West.